Polycyclic aromatic compounds Diels -Alder reactions

Under different conditions [PdfOAcj2, K2CO3, flu4NBr, NMP], the 1 3 coupling product 86 with 4-aryl-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene units was obtained. The product 86 was transformed into a variety of polycyclic aromatic compounds such as 87 and 88[83], The polycyclic heteroarene-annulated cyclopen-tadicnc 90 is prepared by the coupling of 3-iodopyridine and dicyclopentadiene (89), followed by retro-Diels Alder reaction on thermolysis[84]. 

Dihydrovinylphenanthrenes are more reactive than the corresponding vinyl phenanthrenes and undergo Diels-Alder reactions easily. They have been used in the synthesis of polycyclic aromatic compounds and helicenes. Examples of cycloaddition reactions of the 3,4-dihydro-1-vinylphenanthrene (70), [61] 3,4-dihydro-2-vinylphenanthrene (71) [68] and l,2-dihydro-4-vinylphenanthrene (72) [69] are reported in Equation 2.22 and Schemes 2.27 and 2.28. 

The forward reaction is extremely easy bevause of aromaticity recovery. These aspects of the intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction are generally very useful and able to provide polycyclic fused six-membered ring compounds which are otherwise difficult to realize. The controlling factors, geometry and mechanism of intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions have been comprehensively reviewed elsewhere i°4,106), and it is not our intention to discuss these in details. However, the synthetic utility of the reaction is demonstrated by the following examples107). 

As a part of a broad study dealing with the development of synthetic methods for polycyclic aromatic compounds, Minuti and colleagues77 prepared some [5]phenacenes and fluorenoanthracenes via Diels-Alder reactions between dienes such as 59 and several activated dienophiles. Oxidation of the primary adducts with DDQ afforded the desired polycyclic aromatic compounds. Equation 21 shows the reaction between 3,4-dihydro-1-vinylanthracene (59) and in situ generated 2-inden-l-one (60) which afforded a 3 1 mixture of regioisomers 61 and 62 with 51% overall yield. 

The Dess-Martin periodinane 8 is also able to oxidize aromatic compounds to the corresponding quinones. The presence of water is important and, starting from anilides 42 substituted in the 2-position, the rare class of ortho-imido-quinones 43 is accessible, Scheme 21. It has been shown that compounds of type 43 are interesting building blocks and can lead to polycyclic molecules of diverse molecular architecture [95,96]. They can undergo subsequent Diels-Alder reactions and intramolecular versions have been used for a rapid access to natural products and for synthesis of scaffolds for further manipulation.para-Quinones 45 are also easily accessible, however, only in modest yields by reacting 4-sub-stituted anilines 44 under the same reaction conditions, Scheme 21 [97]. 

Three types of cycloaddition products are generally obtained from the photochemical reaction between aromatic compounds and alkenes (Scheme 31). While [2 + 2] (ortho) and [3 + 2] (meta) cycloaddition are frequently described, the [4 + 2] (para or photo-Diels-Alder reaction) pathway is rarely observed [81-83]. Starting from rather simple compounds, polycyclic products of high functionality are obtained in one step. With dissymmetric alkenes, several asymmetric carbons are created during the cycloaddition process. Since many of the resulting products are interesting intermediates for organic syntheses, it is particularly attractive to perform these reactions in a diastereoselective way. 

Several reviews have been published within the year which are of general relevance to the photoreactions of aromatic compounds. The subjects of these reviews include photochemistry in ionic liquids and in isotropic and anisotropic media, organic synthesis utilizing photoinduced electron-transfer reactions," heteroatom-directed photoarylation processes, photochromism, and photochemical molecular devices. Reviews more directly pertinent to the sections in the present chapter include those of the photoisomerization of five-membered heteroaromatic azoles, the photocycloaddition of benzene derivatives to alkenes, Diels-Alder additions of anthracenes, advances in the synthesis of polycyclic aromatic compounds, diarylethene-based photochromic switches, the photo-Fries rearrangement, and the application of Diels-Alder trapping of photogenerated o-xylenols to the synthesis of novel compounds. " A number of chapters in the two recently published handbooks of photochemistry and photobiology and in the revised edition of the text on photochromism are also pertinent to the current subject matter. 

The use of ort/ c>-quinodimethanes in the Diels-Alder reaction provides an efficient approach to polycyclic aromatic compounds. A recent example is the cycloaddition of the benzocyclobutene 56 with the quinone 57, which occurs on heating in toluene (3.49). The adduct 58 was used in a synthesis of rishirilide B. 

Pascal has reported a synthetic protocol for the preparation of 9,11,20,22-tetrap henyltetrabenzo[o,c,l,n]pentacene (145), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, by double Diels-Alder reaction between bisbenzyne precursor 143 and phencyclone 144 (Equation 12.39) [79]. Unfortunately, however, the reaction was found to be extremely low-yielding, with compound 145 being obtained in only 1-2% yield after purification. This problem was most likely a result of the high temperature used to generate the bisbenzyne intermediate. 

Polycyclic aromatic compounds, such as naphthalene and anthracene, are weU known to participate in Diels-Alder and related transformations as these reactions typically result in loss of aromaticity in only one of several arene rings [38]. Such cycloadditions are rarely observed in simpler monocyclic arenes. Several examples of intramolecular [3+2] cycloaddition between an arene and an attached nitrile oxide moiety have been reported [39]. Additionally, 4+2 cycloadditions (also intramolecular) between phenyl groups and attached aUenes have been examined [40]. Allene substrates can be conveniently genwated by base-induced isomerization of alkynyl amides under conditions also suitable for cycloaddition, thweby affording a one-pot method to convert substrates such as 42 to tricyclic products 43 (Schane 15.16) [41]. Elaboration of 43 and structurally related... 

Reduction of aromatic compounds to dihydro derivatives by dissolved metals in liquid ammonia (Birch reduction) is one of the fundamental reactions in organic chemistry308. When benzene derivatives are subjected to this reduction, cyclohexa-1,4-dienes are formed. The 1,4-dienes obtained from the reduction isomerize to more useful 1,3-dienes under protic conditions. A number of syntheses of natural products have been devised where the Birch reduction of a benzenoid compound to a cyclohex-1,3-diene and converting this intermediate in Diels-Alder fasion to polycyclic products is involved (equation 186)308f h. 

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